Knightsbridge Hotel

“Classy hotel with crisp English country style in one of London's most privileged neighbourhoods”

If Kensington is the funky duchess, then Knightsbridge is the gracious princess - this is Lady Di territory. And like her, the Knightsbridge Hotel is a modern English rose - charming, fashionable, with a blush of decorum in her furnishings. Think linen drapes, marble fireplaces, swishy sofas piled with pillows, tasteful art on warm pink walls. And that's just the bedrooms. Add in a polished blonde wood, Africa-chic drawing room and an exquisite book-lined library in lavender, all set over 3 classic Victorian terraced houses on a tranquil tree-lined street and you’ve got a palace fit for a princess.

Staff regard you royally too: whether you’re a tourist, business traveller or treating yourself to a posh weekend, service is genial and professional. The traditional turn-down ritual is mixed with contemporary courtesies like an honesty bar. With some of the city’s most elite shops and supping places on your doorstep, this mid-size hotel is a metropolitan jewel and another bright link in the Firmdale group of London boutique hotels.

A little extra

for i-escape guests

a welcome card and gift and free room upgrade to next room type, depending on availability

Highs

Modern English, neo-chintz interiors, personally chosen by the hotel's owner-designer

Clean, bright, well-cared-for bedrooms with a range of attractive colour schemes and patterns

A strikingly decorated drawing room and a gorgeous library for guests' use

High-ceilinged rooms with an excellent collection of British art and sculpture

Room service and honesty bar operates 24 hours a day

In the midst of a shopping and culture mecca - Harrods and Harvey Nicks, V&A and Natural History museums are all close by

Lows

There is no restaurant in the hotel; breakfast is served in room and is not included in the rate

Although staff are happy to book theatre tickets, the hotel is not within walking distance of the West End shows

Double rooms are on the small side, but i-escape clients may receive a complimentary upgrade

No tea- or coffee-making facilities in the rooms, but there is 24 hour room service

Best time to go

“London is a year-round destination. Shoppers might want to come for Christmas at Harrods; royalists should aim for August/September when Buckingham Palace opens its doors; museum lovers should choose the more queue-free months in autumn and spring.”

Our top tips

“Bring a not-too-maxed credit card so you can shop and sup your way around the hotel's very posh neighbourhood. Good walking shoes will ensure that you're not stuck in black cabs and traffic jams all day.”

Rooms

All the rooms in the Knightsbridge Hotel are refurbished every 18 months - and it shows. Our elegant Junior Suite had beautiful pink and green floral themed fabric and the walls were covered in tactile grey felt, plus there was space for a sofa, 2 armchairs and a writing desk.

Many of the rooms look onto the tree lined street in front of the hotel, including a pretty lilac-themed Deluxe Double on the fifth floor that looks onto the tree-tops, and has a fireplace and a sitting area. The smaller Luxury Double is without a fireplace but is still roomy enough for a desk and a smart high-winged chair. Both can be made up with twin beds - as can the Junior Suite.

The rooms at the hotel’s back face a particular London skyline of Knightsbridge apartments, watched over by Harrods’ distinctive dome and chimney. A Superior Double with this view was wallpapered in a fetching leafy lime-mauve and, like all the rooms, had double-door wardrobe space. Standard Double rooms are perhaps a little small (15 sq.m.), though i-escape guests get a room upgrade if availability permits, so you could chance it.

The first floor rooms have the biggest windows so if you like light rooms with high ceilings; these are the ones for you. The ground and lower ground floor rooms are larger but have smaller windows, so if you are planning a longer stay we recommend these (005 is a huge Deluxe room). Interconnecting rooms are available for family groups and the staff will always do their very best to facilitate any specific room requests.

Bathrooms are large, with chunky granite counters and deep bathtubs. The Deluxe Doubles and Suites also have walk-in showers, and some have TVs at the end of the bathtub. Toiletries are Kit Kemp; white waffle bathrobes and slippers await post-ablutions.

Perhaps guests who choose the hotel’s grand Knightsbridge Suite won’t blink at £4 for a bottle of water from Fiji in the minibar; we were more in the mood to use the 24 hour honesty bar off the library. When we came back (nightcap in hand) the turndown service had left a bottle of Hildon spring water by our bedside anyway. We then picked a DVD from the hotel’s extensive collection, swivelled the LCD TV round and watched a movie in bed… our favourite hotel indulgence.

Features include:

Air conditioning

Bathrobes

Cd player

Central heating

Cots Available

Dvd player

Extra beds

Honesty bar

Minibar/fridge

Phone

Radio

Safe box

Toiletries

Tv

WiFi

Eating

There is no restaurant at the Knightsbridge so breakfast is brought to your room. Make your selection the night before, leave the card on the door and it will discreetly arrive in the morning with your chosen newspaper. Full-bodied English breakfasts, champagne and smoked salmon, blueberry waffles, pancakes, maple syrup and bacon, pastries, muesli and fresh fruit along with coffee, tea and freshly squeezed juices (try the carrot).

The extremely varied room service menu is available 24 hours, so late night hankerings for Caesar salads, shrimp club sandwiches, burgers, Thai green chicken curry and tiger prawn linguini won’t go unattended. You can eat in your room or have food brought to the drawing room or library if you prefer.

For a quintessential London experience, take afternoon tea (with or without champagne) in the drawing room or the library - if you can't bear to leave the comfort of your room, have it brought to you instead. The English Breakfast blend is created especially for the hotel by The Rare Tea Company.

There is no shortage of good restaurants in the area and the room’s helpful information binder has a long descriptive list of them, with a KH by the name if they are within walking distance. Want high society? Try Daphne’s. Prefer bourgeois cuisine? Head to Bibendum. Montpeliano does honest Italian; Racine, simple French. We went for the straightforward gastropub around the corner, Beauchamp Place, and had delicious crispy pork 'n' mash.

Features include:

Breakfast

Minibar/fridge

Restaurants nearby

Room service

Vegetarian menu

Activities

Relax and read by the fire in the hotel's lovely library

Wander through beautiful Hyde Park and feed the ducks on the Serpentine lake

The Royal Albert Hall is close by - the concierge will be delighted to assist with arranging tickets for anything from the Proms to Cirque de Soleil

Treat yourself to world-class shopping (even if it's window-based) at Harrods or the designer shops along Sloane Street

Have a splash-up lunch at Fifth Floor, the Harvey Nichols restaurant, made famous by television's funny Ab Fab ladies

Head to a West End theatre show - the hotel will book tickets and a taxi for you

Mooch about the museums - the Victoria & Albert for costumes and jewellery, Natural History for wildlife photography and life-size dinosaurs

Visit the Queen at Buckingham Palace - the state rooms are open to visitors in late summer and are a treasure-trove of art and fine furniture

Activities on site or nearby include:

Historical sites

Museums / galleries

Nightlife

Shopping / markets

Kids

Children are welcome and cots or extra beds are available, note this is a hotel more geared to adults. All children receive the Firmdale welcome pack for kids.

Family friendly accommodation:

Interconnecting rooms are available for family groups - 006 and 007 on the ground floor, 001 and 005 on the lower ground floor. All Junior Suites, Deluxe Doubles and Luxury Doubles can be made up with twin beds and most rooms (not Doubles) can accommodate an extra bed or baby cot.